Meet Makeup Artist, Beauty Expert & Owner of Red Lip Ink: Kristina Cardwell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristina Cardwell.

Kristina, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up in a pretty small city called Murrieta, California. I took an interest in makeup from a young age. I remember being 11 years old and saving up my allowance to buy cover girl compacts and Revlon eyeshadows from the drugstore. As my interest grew, I started reading makeup tips out of magazines and collecting books and learning. They didn’t have Youtube or makeup tutorials in the way they do now. Anyone can be a makeup artist now, but that wasn’t always the case before. You really had to have a burning desire and time dedicated to your research. Long story short, As a high school student I was booking up makeup appointments for prom season and special events and have been in love with this life ever since! I worked at Starbucks for years to save money and decided to move to Los Angeles and further my education with a makeup degree from MUD in Burbank. People didn’t always have so much faith in my career. People have a horrible stigma about Los Angeles and what it can do to a person. Which can be true, but I refused to be another statistic or failed dream moving back home empty handed. I knew I wouldn’t give up at this no matter what it took. I had it in me! I have the passion! I worked 3 jobs to support myself and took every single opportunity paid or not I could to meet new people and paint new faces. The more effort I put in and the more I showed up, the more people I met, the more I learned, the more I grew and the more confident I became in my work. I started to work more and meet the right people. I developed personal and long-lasting relationships with my clients, models, designers, photographers and other makeup artists and hairstylists. The industry started changing right in front of my eyes. It was no longer a big scary entity, these people were my friends, and the industry was my home! I have since then worked in almost every media of this business. From creating looks for fashion week, being a resident artist at CBS and having multiple magazine publications, I took my experience and spread my wings.

I am now the proud owner of Red Lip Ink. We are a team of on-location makeup artists, hair stylists, airbrush tanners and all-around glam squad extraordinaire! We work on all sorts of events like the Latin Grammys, Man Magnet and have been the official hair and makeup team for The World Championships of Performing Arts the past 4 years in a row! My business partners and I wanted to have an opportunity to build a strong network of other artists who are just as passionate and caring as we are that we trust to refer out to our clients and friends. We also have an internship program that welcomes all levels of artistry wanting to learn and or grow their business. In this career, we have the opportunity every single day to make someone feel good about themselves. The ability to change the way someone feels about themselves, even for one moment is such a powerful thing! We are more than just artists, we are day makers and life changers. We should never underestimate the power of what we do. We are so lucky and our clients are too! I am probably rambling. But there it is in a nutshell. Hope this is what you are looking for.

Has it been a smooth road?
Never a smooth road but always worth it. My father passed away at a young age and I was raised by a single mother. Watching her work multiple jobs, to give me everything she could. I learned the essence of hard work through her. I worked 3 jobs for multiple years in a row to be able to support myself in Los Angeles and also pursue a career as a freelance makeup artist. I never had anyone paying my rent, or bills. I had myself to support and wasn’t afraid of hard work! With no car, I took the bus or walked everywhere I needed to go. I would go months upon months with no days off and often only slept few hours a night. I took every freelance job I was offered and kept working at it so hard until eventually I quit one of my day jobs and my freelance turned into my 2nd job. The truth is I worked A LOT of long hours for FREE! I had to do all my networking on my own, all of my PR on my own, everything! How could I prove to people I was worth them paying me if I had no examples of work to show? I was never mad about working for free, though, I knew that if I showed up professional, friendly and ready every time that eventually my seeds would reap a harvest. I have been ripped off! Had my kit stolen, you name it and its happened. The key is to be crazy in love with what you do and learn, move on and grow! Which is another reason we offer our internship so that hopefully newer artists don’t have to suffer through the same mistakes I did!

Tell us about your childhood, what were you like growing up?
I was actually a pretty strange kid and an even stranger teenager. I have always been a creative at heart and didn’t understand how to harness that creativity into something I love. I lived out my teen years as an angsty goth chick. Don’t get me wrong! I still rock black lipstick, just in a more subtle and flattering way now. I live for being creative, whether it be through art, writing, makeup or wardrobe choices. There is an endless world out there to explore, and I’ve always known this. It’s always been inside of me

Is there a specific memory from when you were younger that you really miss?
I have always had this tight-knit group of friends growing up. We all lived in Murrieta. We would terrorize the neighborhood, attempt to ghost hunt and who even knows what else! We made our own little family! Long story short, we all have completely different lives now but all remain friends to this day. When I think about our funny adventures it makes me smile. Friendship and memories are worth so much more than money.

So, what should we be on the lookout for, what’s next in store for you?
My future plans are to grow my company Red Lip Ink. I would like to expand to multiple locations. I would love to provide more artists who are passionate about their careers more work in a POSITIVE working environment. I want to be able to guide more young artists in the right direction through our internship programs. I want to keep a talented and positive family of artists who believe in sharing love, positivity, and beauty tips to those in need. Keep a good thing going 🙂

Contact Info:

• Website: www.red-lip-ink.com
• Phone: 310 403 7680
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/Kristinamakeup
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/Kristinamakeup
• Other: www.instagram.com/redlipinkofficial